Peace Festival Takes A Break

Peace in the Park started as an anti-war protest in 2003 on Devonshire Green. It has since become Sheffield’s largest free, volunteer-run, community music and arts festival and raises much-needed money for local and international charities. The cost of the 2013 festival was an estimated £20k. At least half this money had to be raised throughout the year from donations at fundraising events, whilst the remaining half is raised on the day from stall pitch fees and bar sales. Volunteer organisers have identified a combination of reasons for this year’s shortfall – increased production costs, reductions in sponsorship and grant income – but mainly the impact of the current tough economic climate.

A spokesperson for the festival said: ‘We’ve seen a huge drop in donations. Peace in the Park is a free festival and has always been possible because of the generosity of Sheffield folk. But this year we believe the impact of ongoing central government cuts, the increased costs of living and declining incomes has caught up with the festival.’

The next Peace in the Park is planned for Saturday June 14th 2014. All money already raised will go towards this event, and all planned fundraisers, decor workshops and volunteer recruitment activities will still go ahead. A new range of year-round fundraising activities, including a citywide crowdfunding campaign, will be announced shortly.

The spokesperson said: ‘We have made a tough decision. It’s a huge disappointment for everybody involved. We feel it’s our responsibility on behalf of Sheffield to ensure Peace in the Park is a safe, free and enjoyable festival. To do this we’ve got to take this year off. Don’t worry Sheffield – with your support Peace in the Park will be back!’

The next Peace in the Park fundraisers include:

Nazdrove presents the Apples and Renegade Brass Band
Friday 3 May at the Library Theatre, 7pm, £8

The crowdfunding request has gone out via our email list, Twitter, Facebook, local radio, local papers and the website (and probably via a shout-out at some of the fundraisers, but I’ve not been to all of them, so I can’t say for sure). If you can suggest any other ways we could get the message out, then we’d be open to hear them.